Via nola.com
Entergy should contact Kristin Chenoweth if lights start to blink in New Orleans during Tropical Storm Karen. The Tony Award-winning singer and actress will take the stage of the renovated Saenger Theatre at 8 p.m. Saturday, bringing the kind of Broadway-meets-Hollywood star power that lights up hearts even when marquees flicker.
“It’s a little ironic to be flying into New Orleans with a storm close by,” Chenoweth said in a Friday morning interview. “I’m honored to help inaugurate the Saenger. I know it’s a huge sign of recovery for New Orleans – an emotion I can connect with as an Oklahoma native looking at the tornado damage at home. “
Chenoweth is also pretty excited about her band: the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.
“This will be my New Orleans debut, so it’s good to know that I will be working with a world-class ensemble,” Chenoweth said. “I’ve heard about the LPO through the musical grapevine and also from my conductor, Kevin Stites. Everyone says that this is a group that strives for perfection every time—and that’s how I am, too. I know that we’re going to hit it on Saturday.”
Chenoweth expects to show her full range at the Saenger – both the jazzy dramatics that work with show tunes, and the classically trained pipes that make her a threat in opera repertoire. Two decades after her Broadway debut, this savvy pro moves easily from Rodgers and Hart to disco themes by Abba.
Chenoweth also plans to showcase a few surprise guests from Louisiana, adding them to the trio of singer/dancers that back her for programs like this.
“Part of the show will reprise a recent program of movie themes, part will be the songs that everyone wants to hear from me, but the end of the show will really feel like Louisiana,” Chenoweth said. “I wanted to do special material for the Saenger. And I wanted some special friends to join me on stage. It’s a gala re-opening, right? Well, I promise, it’s going to be gala – and a surprise.”
The Saenger reopened on Sept. 27, 2013, with a well-attended, three-show run by comedian Jerry Seinfeld. The theater, which has been closed since 2005, underwent a $52 million top-to-bottom renovation to restore it to its 1927 splendor.
Kristin Chenoweth and the LPO
What: The reigning diva of Broadway taps the full range of her talents -- and a few surprise guests from Louisiana -- for a show with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.
Where: Saenger Theatre, 1111 Canal St.
When: Saturday (Oct. 5), 8 p.m.
Tickets: $50 to $95. For information and purchase go to Saengernola.com/shows/OpeningGala. Pre-paid parking and more details about attending events at the theater.